Now Lebanon - Mirza summons Sayyed for questioning, September 16, 2010

An-Nahar newspaper reported on Thursday that Attorney General Judge Said Mirza summoned former head of General Security Jamil as-Sayyed “for questioning over the latter’s threats against the Lebanese state, judiciary, and Prime Minister Saad Hariri.”

According to the daily, Mirza called on the Criminal Investigations Bureau to question Sayyed and brief the former on the results of the inquiry.

Justice Minister Ibrahim Najjar appointed Mirza to summon Sayyed for questioning following the latter’s Sunday press conference, the daily said, adding that Mirza issued the warrant after reviewing the tape of the former General Security chief’s press conference.

Sayyed said on Sunday that “[PM Saad Hariri] should take a lie detector test to prove he did not support or fund false witnesses in the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL),” investigating the 2005 assassination of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri. The former General Security chief also vowed to take his right “with his own hands.”

Sayyed—who was placed in temporary detention in Lebanon in 2005 for his alleged involvement in the Rafik Hariri murder and released in 2009 due to lack of evidence—filed a request in March to the president of the STL, Antonio Cassese, to gain access to certain court files.

Sayyed travelled to Paris following his Sunday press conference to wait for STL Pre-Trial Judge Daniel Fransen’s decision regarding the former’s request.

-NOW Lebanon